


Exchanging Gifts

by SilverAmoebasquid



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: A cute, Gen, I feel like most of my tendou hcs are influenced by Kat, I'm weak for these hcs they make my heart warm, Tendou week 2018, day 2: teammates/family, so here's another thing along those same lines
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-15
Updated: 2018-05-15
Packaged: 2019-05-07 10:30:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,763
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14669201
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SilverAmoebasquid/pseuds/SilverAmoebasquid
Summary: Classes are out for Christmas and Tendou may or may not have a family to spend it with





	Exchanging Gifts

There’s a restless excitement in the dorms near the holidays as the students prepare to go home for a few weeks. The best feeling for Tendou is knowing that he’s finished with all the tests and assignments due before the break and he can finally relax a bit. The volleyball club stayed on campus during summer break so this is the first time all year the students have the opportunity to go home. Tendou’s first term at the school of his dreams has flown by way too quickly already, but he’s looking forward to the break from classes, all much more challenging than his junior high days. For all intents and purposes, he’s leaving the school a day later than everyone else because that’s when it’s most convenient. He doesn’t say it outright because he doesn’t like lying to his friends, but people have too many questions when he says he’s staying in the dorms over the holidays.

People who don’t know him as well would ask why he wouldn’t go home to his family. Tendou doesn’t want to have to tell them that sometimes no family is better than his family.

Besides, it’s peaceful in the dorms during the holidays since there are very few students who don’t travel home and while that does mean it’s a bit lonely, Tendou knows he’ll feel rested by the end of it.

 

“Get this,” Tendou starts, flipping the pages of the book to waft a gentle, paper-scented breeze over his face. He rolls off the bed and lands in a kneel on the floor, glancing through the images covering the page. “We know he died but none of the characters know. They just think he deserted them or something.”

Semi looks up from his side of the room where he’s busy packing a large bag with everything he’s going to need while he’s home. “Is this your space manga or whatever?”

“It’s not space, it’s just the future. But it’s tragic, isn’t it? You have to at least appreciate that!”

“Mhm, Satori, shouldn’t you be packing as well?”

Tendou sits up on his bed, tossing the manga volume aside. “I’ll do it later tonight. What if I pack something I decide I need? Then I gotta unpack again. Like you.”

“What?” Semi shoots a glare over his shoulder.

Eyeing the duffel bag, Tendou snickers. “Your phone charger is in the bottom of your bag but your phone is about to die and you’re going to want it charged before you submit yourself to two hours in the car with your parents.”

Semi freezes, looking in turn at Tendou, then the empty outlet where his phone charger normally stayed, then at his bag before he curses under his breath and starts digging through the stack of neatly folded clothing, pulling the long cord back out. “You couldn’t have told me this earlier?”

Still laughing to himself, Tendou jumps up to pick his roommate’s phone up off the desk and hand it to him to be plugged in. “I didn’t have to tell you at all! You should thank me.” Tendou jumps on Semi’s bed, grabbing the pillow and smacking his roommate with it. “ _ Thank you, Satori, I would be sad without my phone and you saved my life _ .” Tendou laughs, smacking Semi again. “ _ My life would be boring and miserable without you, Satori. Let me show you my appreciation by not being a jerk for once _ .”

“I don’t know about boring, but my life would definitely be more peaceful without you,” Semi argues, but the smile on his face reveals his true feelings as he nabs the pillow back to hit Satori with it.

Tendou flees, leaping across the dorm, back onto his own bed. “Where’s your Christmas spirit, Semisemi? Did it get misplaced along with your positive attitude?”

With a vengeful grin, Semi raises the pillow over his head, preparing to wage a full-on war. Both teens freeze at the sound of knocking on their door. Semi lowers the pillow and tosses it back onto his bed.

“If it’s a noise complaint, it’s your fault,” Tendou yells, jumping back off his bed in front of his roommate to answer the door. Instead of a member of the school’s staff in the hallways, telling them to settle down, Tendou finds himself face to face with Ushijima, looking neutral as ever.

“Good afternoon, Satori,” Ushijima says, looking into the room. “Merry Christmas.”

Tendou takes a step back, allowing his best friend access to the room since it looks like he intends to come inside no matter what. “Hiya~! What are you up to?”

Ushijima sets a bag of his own down on the floor, looking at the room’s other resident.

“We’re riding home together,” Semi explains, pushing hair out of his face as he struggles to closet he zipper on his bag. “Since we live so close to each other anyway, it doesn’t make sense to make both our families come up here to get us.”

Tendou nods, remembering that his two best friends had known each other for the better part of their lives and had gone to elementary school together. It makes sense for them to carpool during the breaks, but it dampens his spirits a little. Unrealistic as it is, he wishes he could go back in time and change his own past somehow that he might end up in the same city as his closest friends. They all could’ve gone to elementary school together. They all could’ve driven home together for breaks from class. “Ri~ight!” Tendou says instead, falling backwards into his desk chair. “Play an extra round of I-Spy in my honor!”

Ushijima nods, completely serious about the agreement. “Satori, should I give you your present now or should I wait until we get back from break like usual?”

His mood skyrocketing again, Tendou grins. He and Ushijima had decided to exchange gifts at Ushijima’s suggestion and Tendou had been all for the idea, promising he’d get his best friend a gift for Christmas all three years they’d be together at Shiratorizawa and then every year after that, no matter where they’d end up. Even though it wasn’t a surprise, the sentiment still rocked Tendou when he thought about his best friend going out of his way to get him a present. “Wakatoshi-kun is so sweet! You know you don’t have to get me anything! We can do it later though. I don’t have your gift picked out yet, but I think I want to look around in that marketplace a few blocks from here.”

Semi frowns. “You can’t leave everything to the last possible second, Satori. You still have stuff to get done here.” He gestures at his own packed bag.

“Stuff to do? There’s going to be  _ nothing _ to do here for three weeks. I’ll take all the time I want to window-shop...” Tendou trails off as he realizes his mistake. He got excited and spoke without thinking and with both his friends looking at him curiously, this was going to be hard to cover up with a lie. “I... live close by. So going back to the marketplace isn’t a long journey. That’s all.”

“You said the drive to your parents’ house was a couple hours.” Semi crosses his arms.

A sigh slips through Satori’s lips and he eyes the door. If the small dorm room weren’t so crowded, he’d make a break for the door, spewing something about forgetting something in the gym that he needed to pack. Instead, he looks between his friends and places his best smile over his face. “I didn’t want you guys to freak out, but I’m staying here over the break actually. Things just didn’t work out to go home this time around, but I’ll be fine!”

“You said you were excited to go home,” Ushijima says quietly, his voice more gentle than normal, as if he caught onto what was going on already.

Tendou’s smile only brightens. “Don’t worry about me, I’m perfectly content here! And it means I get to window shop for presents for both of you!”

“Why aren’t you going home?” Semi asks softly.

“Don’t get all mushy and caring,” Satori pretends to gag. “It doesn’t suit you. Home isn’t the nicest place and I’d rather stay here. So now you can stop pestering me about procrastinating my packing. Because I’m not packing.”

Semi and Ushijima exchange a glance and Ushijima returns his eyes to Tendou’s. “You could have said something. You’d be welcome to stay at my house during the break so you don’t have to be alone.”

Deciding this had already gone too far, Tendou waves his hands in front of Ushijima’s face. “Stop, you goof! Seriously, you don’t have to worry about me. I’m just fine right here. I’m not cut out for nice family dinners and holidays with people. I’ve never really even done that before so I wouldn’t know what to do at a sit-down meal if I had one!” Tendou laughs, but sees that neither of his friends are amused so he stops.

“Idiot, just accept the offer and start packing,” Semi rolls his eyes. “My parents are gonna be here in a half hour to pick us up and you’re coming with us. I need a break from living with you, but Wakatoshi’s family is really nice.”

Ushijima nods to confirm the statement. “Satori, I would love if you came to stay with me for the holidays. You could stay at my house during all our breaks from school if you wanted.”

The sincerity in both his friends’ faces made Satori’s chest tighten. “I don’t want to be a burden though.”

“You’re not,” Semi insists. “It’s the holidays. You’re supposed to spend it with people who love you.”

Something like emotion pressed at the backs of Tendou’s eyes and he perched on the edge of the chair. “This would be the first time that would happen. We never really celebrated holidays when I was a kid. I like exchanging gifts with you guys because it’s the first time I’ve really gotten the chance to do that with someone.”

Semi roughly grabs Tendou’s arm and hauls him to his feet, but he’s smiling. “Enough sap, just pack. If this is going to be your first real Christmas with family, we gotta make the most of it.”

“Family,” Tendou whispers, a smile creeping back onto his face as he grabs his backpack, dumping out his school stuff to fill it with clothes. It took him long enough, but he’d finally found family.


End file.
